Delivery Of Visual Voice Mail

ABSTRACT

Delivery of a text message and/or voice mail message may include identifying a recipient of the message, receiving a notification indicative of one of the subscriber&#39;s availability, the subscriber&#39;s presence and the subscriber&#39;s location, recording the message, selectively converting a voice mail message to a text message based on the notification, and delivering either the text message or the voice mail message to a device of the recipient based on the notification. The text message and/or voice mail message may be delivered via a map, wherein selection of a location on the map may retrieve the text message and/or voice mail message.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/951,743, filed Jul. 26, 2013 which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/287,324 filed Nov. 2, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.8,515,029. The instant application is related by subject matter to U.S.Pat. No. 9,025,739, issued May 5, 2015; U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/274,944, filed Oct. 17, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 8,489,075, issued Jul.16, 2013; and U.S. Pat. No. 9,042,527, issued May 26, 2015. U.S. patentapplication Ser. Nos. 13/951,743 and 13/274,944 and U.S. Pat. Nos.8,515,029; 9,025,739; 8,489,075; and 9,042,527 are hereby incorporatedby reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to voice mail systems intelecommunications, and more particularly, to a system and method forimplementing visual voice mail.

BACKGROUND

A calling party that does not connect with a called party will often beinvited to leave a voice mail message for the called party. More recentdevelopments enable the delivery of visual voice mail to the calledparty. Such access is typically provided on a person-to-person orpeer-to-peer basis, meaning that a single calling party may leave asingle voice mail message to a single called party.

In established wireless telecommunications networks, mobile devicesconnect to a voice mail box using circuit switched networks. Forexample, a calling party will initiate a circuit switched connection toa called party. Upon receiving a notification (i.e., a no answer) fromthe called party, the calling party will establish a circuit switchedconnection to the voicemail box of the called party. From there, thevoicemail message may be stored on a visual voicemail (VVM) server whichhas access to a visual voicemail to text transcription (VMTT) server.The VMTT server may then deliver the text version of the voicemail tothe called party via SMS or email. This methodology consumes valuableresources of the network provider.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary that describes some aspectsor embodiments of the subject disclosure. This summary is not anextensive overview of the disclosure. Indeed, additional or alternativeembodiments of the subject disclosure may be available beyond thosedescribed in the summary.

An example embodiment of the disclosure may be directed to a method fordelivery of a voice mail message to a recipient including identifyingthe recipient of the voice mail message, receiving a notificationindicative of one of the subscriber's availability, the subscriber'spresence and the subscriber's location, and recording the voice mailmessage, selectively converting the voice mail message to a text messagebased on the notification, and delivering either the text message or thevoice mail message to a device of the recipient based on thenotification. The text message or voice message may be delivered to adevice of the recipient using a packet switched network. The method mayfurther include receiving an alternative destination device for deliveryof the text message or the voice message and delivering the text messageor the voice message to the alternative destination device usinginternet protocol. The alternative destination device may be anappliance connected to the internet. The method may further includereceiving a distribution list and delivering the text message or voicemessage to multiple recipients based on the distribution list and mayalso include one recipient receiving the text message and anotherrecipient receiving the voice message.

An example embodiment of the disclosure may also be directed to a methodfor processing a voice mail message to a recipient including receiving atext message at a voice mail server representative of the voice mailmessage to be delivered, converting the text message to the voice mailmessage, and sending the voice mail message to a device of the recipientvia a packet switched network. The voice mail message may be sent via acircuit switched network if the packet switched network is unavailable.The method may further include receiving a distribution list wherein thevoice mail message is delivered to multiple recipients based on thedistribution list.

Another example embodiment of the disclosure may also be directed to amethod of delivering a voice mail message to a recipient includingreceiving a map indicating a destination of interest, receiving a voicemail message associated with the map, and delivering the voice mailmessage along with the map indicating the destination of interest to therecipient. The voice mail message may be selectively transcribed to atext message based on one of availability of the recipient, presence ofthe recipient, location of the recipient, and selection of analternative destination device of the recipient.

An example embodiment of the disclosure may also be directed to a voicemail server having at least one processor, wherein the processor isconfigured to receive a voice mail message from a calling party to arecipient, selectively transcribe the voice mail message to a textmessage based on one of availability of the recipient, the presence ofthe recipient, location of the recipient and a selected destinationreceiving device of the recipient, and deliver either the voice mailmessage or a text message to the recipient based on the transcribefunction. The processor may be further configured to receive adistribution list for the voice mail message and to deliver the voicemail message to multiple recipients in the distribution list. Theprocessor may be further configured to receive a map indicating alocation of interest and to deliver the voice mail message with the mapindicating the location of interest.

Another example embodiment of the disclosure may also be directed to avisual voice mail server having at least one processor wherein at leastone processor is configured to receive a voice mail message and adistribution list having multiple recipients, transcribe the voice mailmessage to a text message, deliver the voice mail message to at leastone recipient and the text message to at least one other recipient. Atleast one processor may be further configured to select delivery of thevoice mail message or the text message based on one of availability ofeach of the subscribers, presence of each of the subscribers; locationof each of the subscribers and a selection of an alternative destinationdevice of each of the subscribers. At least one processor may be furtherconfigured to receive a map indicating a destination of interest andforwarding the map to each of the recipients along with the voicemessage and the text message.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description is better understood when read in conjunctionwith the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 is an example high level network diagram of an embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 2 is an example architecture diagram in accordance with anembodiment;

FIG. 3 is an example method in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 4 is an example architecture in accordance with an alternativeembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an example process in which a merchant may use LTE to delivervisual voice mail messages to a plurality of recipients;

FIG. 6 is an example process in which a visual voice mail message may bedelivered to a device or appliance on a wired network;

FIG. 7 is an example process in which a visual voice mail message may bedelivered with a mapped location for retrieval by a recipient;

FIG. 8 is an example process in which a visual voice mail deliverymethod may be based on a location of the recipient.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example device that is configurable tobe compatible with visual voice mail systems;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example network entity configurable tobe compatible with visual voice mail systems;

FIG. 11 depicts an overall block diagram of an example packet-basedmobile cellular network environment, such as a GPRS network, in whichvisual voice mail systems can be implemented.

FIG. 12 illustrates an architecture of a typical GPRS network in whichvisual voice mail systems can be implemented.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example block diagram view of a GSM/GPRS/IPmultimedia network architecture within which visual voice mail systemscan be implemented.

FIG. 14 illustrates a PLMN block diagram view of an example architecturein which visual voice mail systems may be incorporated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will now be described with respect to theappended drawings. In the description that follows, the “recipient” or“subscriber” are used interchangeably and should be interpreted as thecalled party for whom the visual voice mail is intended.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown the system 10 which may beconstructed in an example embodiment of the present disclosure. There isa network 12 which in an illustrative embodiment, is the Internet,perhaps using IP protocols. However, in other example embodiments, thenetwork 12 can additionally or alternatively include another internet, aprivate network, a public network, and the like, or any othercombination thereof. There is also shown a wireless communication device14 in wireless communication with a cellular antenna 16 which, through acommunications network may interface with network 12. FIGS. 11, 12, 13and 14 are examples of such communication networks. The wireless networkmay be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, also known as 4G, or anytype of cellular network, including but not limited to, those based uponGlobal System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access CDMA (WCDMA), 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP), Enhanced Data Rates for GSMEvolution (EDGE), 4G, or any other type of cellular network, and mayalso be any other type of wireless network, including Wi-Fi, WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), wireless local areanetwork (WLAN), another IEEE 802.XX network, or any other type ofwireless network capable of transmitting data. Attached to or incommunication with the network 12 are one or more network devices 26 a,26 b such as workstations or other computing devices, it beingunderstood by those skilled in the art that such network devices mayalso include netbook computers, laptop computers, tablet computers,personal digital assistants (PDA's), internet-enabled mobile telephones,smart phones, and any other network device capable or sending orreceiving data to and from the Internet. Also attached to or incommunication with the network 12 is a visual voice mail (VVM) server 18which may be in communication with other servers 20, including apresence server. The presence or other servers 20 may also be incommunication with the network 12 and may, for example, include locationservers, presence servers, advertising servers, or any other type ofserver provided either by wireless network operators or by thirdparties. The VVM server 18 may also be in communication with a textconversion server 24 which is capable of converting visual voice mailfrom text to speech and speech to text. It will be appreciate that insome example embodiments, the VVM 18 may be in direct communication withthe presence or other server 20 and/or the text conversion server 24.Furthermore, in some example embodiments, two or more of the VVM 118server, the presence or other server 20, and/or the text conversionserver 24 may be implemented as part of the same server or server systemcomprising one or more computers. In other embodiments, the VVM 18 maycommunicate with the presence or other server 20 and/or the textconversion server 24 via a network such as the network 12, a privatenetwork, and/or a public network.

Still referring to FIG. 1, there is also a database 30 which isaccessible via the network 12 by a user of a mobile device 14 or the VVMserver 18 or any of the other servers 20 which are authorized to accessthe database 30. The database 30 may, for example, include provisioninginformation, subscription information, preference information or othernetwork control or user information relating to the user of the mobiledevice 14. The database 30 may be standalone or be part of otherdatabases that service the network, including home location registers(HLRs) or visitor location registers (VLRs). Also shown connected to thenetwork 12 in FIG. 1 is a social media function 22, which may, forexample, include access to Facebook®, Twitter®, Linked-In®, or othersocial media functionality. The social media function 22 may beimplemented as part of a server or a server system comprising at leastone computer. The social media function 22 may also be implemented aspart of a server or server system supporting other functionality,including but not limited to, the VMM server 18, the presence or otherserver 20, and/or the text conversion server 24, according to an exampleembodiment of the disclosure.

The wireless device 14 is representative of any appropriate type ofdevice that can communicate on a wireless network. Example devicesinclude any type of wireless receiver or transceiver device (e.g., cellphone, smart phone, pager, PDA, PC, specialized broadcast receivingdevice, satellite radio receiver, satellite phone, and television).Example devices can comprise any appropriate mobile device, such as, forexample, a portable device, a variety of computing devices including (a)a portable media player, e.g., a portable music player, such as an MP3player, an iPod touch, a Walkman, etc., (b) a portable computing device,such as a laptop, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a portablephone, such as a cell phone or the like, a smart phone (e.g., iPhone,Blackberry, Android-based phone, etc.), a Session Initiation Protocol(SIP) phone, a video phone, a portable email device, a thin client, aportable gaming device, etc., (c) consumer electronic devices, such asTVs, DVD players, set top boxes, monitors, displays, etc., (d) a publiccomputing device, such as a kiosk, an in-store music sampling device, anautomated teller machine (ATM), a cash register, etc., (e) a navigationdevice whether portable or installed in-vehicle and/or (f) anon-conventional computing device, such as a kitchen appliance, a motorvehicle control (e.g., steering wheel), etc., or a combination thereof.For example purposes only, the mobile device 14 will be referred to assmart phone 14, though clearly not limited to such.

In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, a voicemail messagemay be implemented on a packet switched network using a broadcastcapability of the presence server 20. For example, with reference toFIG. 2, a presence server 36 (e.g., an example of a presence server 20)is configured to determine the presence of a called party 35 anddetermines the status of the called party 35 as unavailable 37. Thepresence server 36 may broadcast or otherwise transmit the status of thecalled party 35 to the calling party through the network 12 which may bea packet switched network so that calling party device 34 knows that thecalled party 35 is unavailable. Knowing that status, the calling party34 may interface directly with a visual voicemail to text transcription(VMTT) server 38 (e.g., an example of a VVM server 18) to leave a voicemessage that is converted to text to be sent as a data message to thecalled party device 42 via a packet switched network. In this manner,resources of the network that otherwise would be required to deliver avoice to text transcription of a voicemail message are conserved.Alternative embodiments may include recording a voice mail message to bedeposited directly into the calling party's mailbox 40 based on thenegative availability of the called party, in which case the messagewill not undergo voice to text transcription at VMTT server 38. Thedisclosure may also include multiple called parties or recipients.

In accordance with the multiple embodiments described herein, there maybe the creation of a distribution list that facilitates the distributionof text messages or voice messages being sent to multiple recipientsbased on the distribution list. The distribution list may includecontact information as well as attributes such as profile information,demographic information, group information, or any other type ofclassification which may be used to construct or filter the distributionlist.

With reference to FIG. 3, a method of the present disclosure isdescribed in conjunction with the example architecture diagram of FIG.2. At 44, the presence server 36 determines the availability of thecalled party 35. At 46, the presence server 36 determines the calledparty's 35 status and transmits that status. At 48, the decision as towhether the called party is available is received. If the called partyis available, the call is placed to the called party device 42 at 49. Ifthe called party 35 is unavailable, then the calling party 34 receivesthe broadcast indicating that the called party 35 is unavailable and at50 deposits a voicemail message into the called party's VMTT 38. At 52the VMTT device 34 initiates a transcribing from voicemail to text. At54, the VMTT initiates delivery of the text message via a packetswitched network.

In accordance with another embodiment and with reference to FIG. 4, thecalling party device 56 may send a text message from the calling partydevice 34 to the visual voicemail server 58 to be deposited into thecalled party's mail box 60. The visual voice mail server 58 may thenconvert the text message to a voice message using text to speechconversion functionality. The voice message may then be sent to thecalled party's device 62 using the packet switched network.Alternatively, the voice message may be sent using the circuit switchednetwork if the packet switched network is unavailable. The message maybe sent with a priority set by the server, set by the calling party, orset by the called party. The message may be pushed to the called partydevice 62 or requested by the called party device 62.

In accordance with another embodiment, pre-recorded visual voice mailmessages, including multi-media attachments, may be used by enterprisesubscribers to reach out to their customers. The pre-recorded messagesmay, for example, be general in nature, or may include specific salesinformation, public service announcements, emergency announcements orany other type of content. The pre-recorded message may includetarget-marketing type content so that messages are customized based ondemographics, age, preferences, and the like. In an LTE environment orother packet-switched environment, such pre-recorded visual voice mailmessages may be broadcast to multiple destination mail boxes.

With reference to FIG. 5, there is shown an example process for pushingvoice mail messages to multiple recipients. At 70, the visual voice mailmessage is pre-recorded. The message may be, for example, a business orenterprise recording a product promotion. At 72, the enterprise compilesa list of targeted recipients, which may be based on demographics suchas age, location, gender, preferences and profiles of potential targetedrecipients. The targeted recipients are then identified by a customergroup profile or a contact Mobile Subscriber/Station Integrated ServicesDigital Network (MSISDN) or other identification mechanism. At 74, themessage is deposited into the message storage server. At 76, the visualvoice mail server delivers the message to the mobile devices of thetargeted recipients. At 78, the method may continue with the subscriberreviewing the message and, if applicable, at 80 wherein the commercialtransaction between the enterprise and one or more recipients iscompleted.

In accordance with another embodiment, the visual voice mail messagesmay be delivered in accordance with wire line broadband technologies.For example, some of the wire line access network technologies availableto the home and office include without limitation devices and appliancessuch as a fax machine, refrigerator, microwave, and other appliancesconnected via broadband. Additionally devices may include withoutlimitation, laptops, tablets, set top boxes or any other type of device.For the purposes of this disclosure, appliances and devices are usedinterchangeably to mean the collection of any such devices orappliances. An example embodiment is shown in FIG. 6. A subscriber mayregister devices and appliances as delivery destinations as part of avoice mail profile. Each of the devices and appliances may have anetwork name and network address, as well as an IP address associatedtherewith. For example, a home network may be identified by a particularIP address, and then each of the devices or appliances on that homenetwork identified by a network name and/or address. At 82, subscriber'scurrent location is identified using the subscriber's mobile handset.The location may be by known techniques, including latitude-longitudemapping, GPS, or other such location determining techniques. At 84, thewire line access network technologies available to the subscriber eitherat the subscriber's home, office or other location are identified whichmay, for example, be based on data previously entered in a subscriber'svoice mail profile and which coincide with the subscriber's location. At86, the device or appliance for delivery is selected. This selectionprocess may be controlled by the handset and may, for example, bedetermined by communication between the mobile handset and the devicethrough an RFID process, near field communications, selection from ahandset application, or otherwise. At 88, the visual voice mail messageis delivered. The process repeats at 82 any time the subscriber changeslocation. In this manner, the subscriber may have messages delivered todevices or appliances in the home as selected based on the particularlocation in the home, then have messages delivered to different devicesor appliances at the subscriber's office based on whether the subscriberis in the cafeteria, office or conference room. It is also possible thatthe subscriber may designate a remote delivery appliance or device aswell. For example, if the location determination results in a subscriberon her way to the office, the messages may be delivered to a device orappliance at the office.

In accordance with another embodiment and with reference to FIG. 7,there is shown an example process for delivery of a hybrid message whichincludes a voice mail message and a location. The location may refer tothe location of the calling party, the location of the called party, ora location of interest to the message. The method also includes theability for the subscriber receiving the hybrid message to click on thelocation of the map to listen to the specific message associated withthat location, for example, a meeting location, a point of reference, orthe like. At 94, the sender creates a new visual voice mail messagethrough the visual voice mail server. At 96, the sender correlates ageographic location with the message through the visual voice mailserver. At 98, the map and the message are delivered to the subscriber.At 100, the subscriber may be presented with a map to browse and selecta location associated with a particular voice mail message. At 102, thesubscriber retrieves the voice mail either by text message or voice byselecting a location on the map.

In accordance with another embodiment, the visual voice mail deliverymethod, for example, by audio file and/or text transcription, may beselected based on the subscriber locations. For example, it may bedesirable to send a message via text delivery if the subscriber is in anoffice environment or via voice if the subscriber is in a homeenvironment. With respect to FIG. 8, there is shown an example process.At 104, the wireless network receives a notification that there is a newvoice message is stored at the mail box of the subscriber. At 106, thenetwork identifies the current location of the subscriber based on knowntechnologies, which, may, for example, be global positioning system(GPS), cell ID, assisted GPS (AGPS), time difference of arrival (TDOA),or other such technologies. At 108, the device to receive the message isselected. The selection may be based on a variety of factors, includingbut not limited to home, office, the availability of other devices orappliances, or any other factors or criteria selected by the user andoffered by the network. At 110, the network retrieves the voice messagefrom the subscriber mailbox. At 112, the network delivers the voicemessage, either in audio, text or a combination thereof, based on thelocation. Alternatively, the selection of delivery method may be basedon the presence or availability of the subscriber.

With respect to the various examples set forth above, it will beunderstood that each may be a standalone embodiment or that one or moreexamples may be combined into alternative embodiments. For example, theexample of delivery of voice mail to appliances may be combined with theselection of text or voice based on the location of the subscriber todeliver text to a television set or the voice version of the message toa range, refrigerator or other kitchen appliance. None of the examplesset forth herein are intending to limit the disclosure in any way.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example device 436 that may, for examplebe a smartphone or other mobile device and which is configurable toreceive visual voice mail displays. The example device 436 may be anexample implementation for the device 14 of FIG. 1, according to anexample embodiment. The device 436 can include any appropriate device,mechanism, software, and/or hardware for distributing connectivityand/or transmission time as described herein. As described herein, thedevice 436 comprises hardware, or a combination of hardware andsoftware. And, each portion of the device 436 comprises hardware, or acombination of hardware and software. In an example configuration, thedevice 436 can comprise a processing portion 438, a memory portion 440,an input/output portion 442, a user interface (UI) portion 444, and asensor portion 446 comprising at least one of a video camera portion448, a force/wave sensor 450, a microphone 452, a moisture sensor 454,or a combination thereof. The force/wave sensor comprises at least oneof a motion detector, an accelerometer, an acoustic sensor, a tiltsensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, or the like. The motiondetector is configured to detect motion occurring outside of thecommunications device, for example via disturbance of a standing wave,via electromagnetic and/or acoustic energy, or the like. The acceleratoris capable of sensing acceleration, motion, and/or movement of thecommunications device. The acoustic sensor is capable of sensingacoustic energy, such as a noise, voice, etc., for example. The tiltsensor is capable of detecting a tilt of the communications device. Thepressure sensor is capable of sensing pressure against thecommunications device, such as from a shock wave caused by broken glassor the like. The temperature sensor is capable of sensing a measuringtemperature, such as inside of the vehicle, room, building, or the like.The moisture sensor 54 is capable of detecting moisture, such asdetecting if the device 436 is submerged in a liquid. The processingportion 438, memory portion 440, input/output portion 442, userinterface (UI) portion 444, video camera portion 448, force/wave sensor450, and microphone 452 are coupled together to allow communicationstherebetween (coupling not shown in FIG. 9).

In various embodiments, the input/output portion 442 comprises areceiver of the device 36, a transmitter of the device 436, or acombination thereof. The input/output portion 442 is capable ofreceiving and/or providing information pertaining to visual voice mailmessages as described herein or other communications with other devicesand device types. For example, the input/output portion 442 can includea wireless communications (e.g., 2.5G/3G/4G) SIM card. The input/outputportion 442 is capable of receiving and/or sending text information,video information, audio information, control information, imageinformation, data, an indication to initiate a connection, an indicationto initiate a transmission, start time information, end timeinformation, interval time information, interval length information,random number value information, connect time information, transmit timeinformation, parsing information, authentication information, or anycombination thereof. In an example configuration, the input\outputportion 442 comprises a GPS receiver. In an example configuration, thedevice 36 can determine its own geographical location through any typeof location determination system including, for example, the GlobalPositioning System (GPS), assisted GPS (A-GPS), time difference ofarrival calculations, configured constant location (in the case ofnon-moving devices), any combination thereof, or any other appropriatemeans. In various configurations, the input/output portion 442 canreceive and/or provide information via any appropriate means, such as,for example, optical means (e.g., infrared), electromagnetic means(e.g., RF, WI-FI, BLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, etc.), acoustic means (e.g.,speaker, microphone, ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic transmitter), or acombination thereof. In an example configuration, the input/outputportion comprises a WIFI finder, a two way GPS chipset or equivalent, orthe like.

The processing portion 438 is capable of processing visual voice mail asdescribed herein. The processing portion 438, in conjunction with anyother portion of the device 436, enables the device 436 to covert speechto text or convert text to speech. The processing portion 358 caninclude one or more processors configured to execute computer-readableinstructions, perhaps accessible via the memory portion 436 or anothermemory location, in order to provide or perform one or more functions inaccordance with one or more example methods described herein.

In a basic configuration, the device 436 can include at least one memoryportion 440. The memory portion 440 can store any information utilizedin conjunction with visual voice mail as described herein. Dependingupon the exact configuration and type of processor, the memory portion40 can be volatile (such as some types of RAM), non-volatile (such asROM, flash memory, etc.). The device 436 can include additional storage(e.g., removable storage and/or non-removable storage) including, tape,flash memory, smart cards, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, universal serial bus (USB)compatible memory, or the like. In an example configuration, the memoryportion 440, or a portion of the memory portion 440 is hardened suchthat information stored therein can be recovered if the device 436 isexposed to extreme heat, extreme vibration, extreme moisture, corrosivechemicals or gas, or the like. In an example configuration, theinformation stored in the hardened portion of the memory portion 440 isencrypted, or otherwise rendered unintelligible without use of anappropriate cryptographic key, password, biometric (voiceprint,fingerprint, retinal image, facial image, or the like). Wherein, use ofthe appropriate cryptographic key, password, biometric will render theinformation stored in the hardened portion of the memory portion 440intelligible.

The device 436 also can contain a UI portion 444 allowing a user tocommunicate with the device 436. The UI portion 444 is capable ofrendering any information utilized in conjunction the visual voice mailas described herein. For example, the UI portion 444 can provide meansfor entering text (including numbers), entering a phone number,rendering text, rendering images, rendering multimedia, rendering sound,rendering video, receiving sound, or the like, as described herein. TheUI portion 444 can provide the ability to control the device 436, via,for example, buttons, soft keys, voice actuated controls, a touchscreen, movement of the device 436, visual cues (e.g., moving a hand infront of a camera on the mobile device 436), or the like. The UI portion444 can provide visual information (e.g., via a display), audioinformation (e.g., via speaker), mechanically (e.g., via a vibratingmechanism), or a combination thereof. In various configurations, the UIportion 444 can comprise a display, a touch screen, a keyboard, aspeaker, or any combination thereof. The UI portion 444 can comprisemeans for inputting biometric information, such as, for example,fingerprint information, retinal information, voice information, and/orfacial characteristic information. The UI portion 444 can be utilized toenter an indication of the designated destination (e.g., the phonenumber, IP address, or the like).

In an example embodiment, the sensor portion 446 of the device 436comprises the video camera portion 448, the force/wave sensor 450, andthe microphone 452. The video camera portion 448 comprises a camera (orcameras) and associated equipment capable of capturing still imagesand/or video and to provide the captured still images and/or video toother portions of the device 436. In an example embodiment, theforce/wave sensor 450 comprises an accelerometer, a tilt sensor, anacoustic sensor capable of sensing acoustic energy, an optical sensor(e.g., infrared), or any combination thereof.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example network entity 456 such as apersonal computer or a television configurable to facilitate themulti-screen environment of a visual voice mail system as describedherein. In an example embodiment, the network entity 456 comprises anetwork entity comprising hardware, or a combination of hardware andsoftware. And, each portion of the network entity 456 compriseshardware, or a combination of hardware and software. When used inconjunction with a network, the functionality needed to facilitatevisual voice mail processing may reside in any one or combination ofnetwork entities. The network entity 456 depicted in FIG. 4 representsany appropriate network entity, apparatus, or combination of networkentities or apparatuses, such as a processor, a server, a gateway, etc.,or any combination thereof. It is emphasized that the block diagramdepicted in FIG. 4 is example and not intended to imply a specificimplementation or configuration. Thus, the network entity 456 can beimplemented in a single processor or multiple processors (e.g., singleserver or multiple servers, single gateway or multiple gateways, etc.).Multiple network entities can be distributed or centrally located.Multiple network entities can communicate wirelessly, via hard wire, ora combination thereof.

In an example configuration, the network entity 456 comprises aprocessing portion 458, a memory portion 460, and an input/outputportion 462. The processing portion 458, memory portion 460, andinput/output portion 462 are coupled together (coupling not shown inFIG. 4) to allow communications therebetween. The input/output portion462 is capable of receiving and/or providing information from/to adevice (e.g. device 436) and/or other network entity configured to beutilized in conjunction with visual voice mail services. For example,the input/output portion 462 is capable of, in conjunction with anyother portion of the network entity 456 as needed, receiving and/orsending text information, video information, audio information, controlinformation, image information, data, or any information relating tovisual voice mail, or any combination thereof.

The processing portion 458 is capable of performing functions associatedwith distributing connectivity and/or transmission time, as describedherein. For example, the processing portion 458 is capable of, inconjunction with any other portion of the network entity 456 as needed,executing an application for processing visual voice mail via the userinterface portion 444, processing text messages received via theinput/output portion 442, processing voice messages received via theinput/output portion 442, or the like, or any combination thereof. Theprocessing portion 458 can include one or more processors configured toexecute computer-readable instructions, perhaps accessible via thememory portion 460 or another memory location, in order to provide orperform one or more functions in accordance with one or more examplemethods described herein.

The memory portion 460 can store any information utilized in conjunctionwith distributing connectivity and/or transmission time, as describedherein. For example, the memory portion 460 is capable of storinginformation pertaining to a start time, an end time, an interval time, arandom number value, a connect time, a transmission time, parsinginformation, authenticating information, hashing information, encryptinginformation, a location of a device, a predetermined text/voice message,a text/voice message, a predetermined audio/text message, an audio/textmessage, subscriber profile information, subscriber identificationinformation, phone numbers, an identification code of the communicationsdevice, video information, audio information, control information,information indicative sensor data (e.g., raw individual sensorinformation, combination of sensor information, processed sensorinformation, etc.), or a combination thereof. Depending upon the exactconfiguration and type of network entity 456, the memory portion 460 caninclude a computer storage medium, or media, that is volatile 464 (suchas dynamic RAM), non-volatile 466 (such as ROM), or a combinationthereof. The network entity 456 can include additional storage, in theform of computer storage media (e.g., removable storage 468 and/ornon-removable storage 470) including, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, tape, flashmemory, smart cards, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, universal serial bus (USB)compatible memory. As described herein, a computer storage medium is anarticle of manufacture.

The network entity 456 also can contain communications connection(s) 476that allow the network entity 456 to communicate with other devices,network entities, or the like. A communications connection(s) cancomprise communication media. Communication media can be used tocommunicate computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data. Communication media can include an appropriatetransport mechanism or information delivery media that can be used totransport a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave.

The network entity 456 also can include input device(s) 472 such askeyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, an opticalinput device, etc. Output device(s) 474 such as a display, speakers,printer, mechanical vibrators, etc. also can be included.

The communications device (e.g., device 436) and the network entity(network entity 456) can be part of and/or in communication with variouswireless communications networks. Some of which are described below.

FIG. 11 depicts an overall block diagram of an example packet-basedmobile cellular network environment, part of which is shown in FIG. 1with respect to wireless device 14 and cellular station 16, such as aGPRS network, in which visual voice mail may be implemented. In theexample packet-based mobile cellular network environment shown in FIG.11, there are a plurality of Base Station Subsystems (“BSS”) 500 (onlyone is shown), each of which comprises a Base Station Controller (“BSC”)502 serving a plurality of Base Transceiver Stations (“BTS”) such asBTSs 504, 506, and 508. BTSs 504, 506, 508, etc. are the access pointswhere users of packet-based mobile devices become connected to thewireless network. In example fashion, the packet traffic originatingfrom user devices is transported via an over-the-air interface to a BTS508, and from the BTS 508 to the BSC 502. Base station subsystems, suchas BSS 500, are a part of internal frame relay network 510 that caninclude Service GPRS Support Nodes (“SGSN”) such as SGSN 512 and 514.Each SGSN is connected to an internal packet network 520 through which aSGSN 512, 514, etc. can route data packets to and from a plurality ofgateway GPRS support nodes (GGSN) 522, 524, 526, etc. As illustrated,SGSN 514 and GGSNs 522, 524, and 526 are part of internal packet network520. Gateway GPRS serving nodes 522, 524 and 526 mainly provide aninterface to external Internet Protocol (“IP”) networks such as PublicLand Mobile Network (“PLMN”) 550, corporate intranets 540, or Fixed-EndSystem (“FES”) or the public Internet 530. As illustrated, subscribercorporate network 540 may be connected to GGSN 524 via firewall 532; andPLMN 550 is connected to GGSN 524 via boarder gateway router 534. TheRemote Authentication Dial-In User Service (“RADIUS”) server 542 may beused for caller authentication when a user of a mobile cellular devicecalls corporate network 540.

Generally, there can be a several cell sizes in a GSM network, referredto as macro, micro, pico, femto and umbrella cells. The coverage area ofeach cell is different in different environments. Macro cells can beregarded as cells in which the base station antenna is installed in amast or a building above average roof top level. Micro cells are cellswhose antenna height is under average roof top level. Micro-cells aretypically used in urban areas. Pico cells are small cells having adiameter of a few dozen meters. Pico cells are used mainly indoors.Femto cells have the same size as pico cells, but a smaller transportcapacity. Femto cells are used indoors, in residential, or smallbusiness environments. On the other hand, umbrella cells are used tocover shadowed regions of smaller cells and fill in gaps in coveragebetween those cells.

FIG. 12 illustrates a more detailed architecture of a typical GPRSnetwork in which visual voice mail may be implemented. The architecturedepicted in FIG. 6 is segmented into four groups: users 650, radioaccess network 660, core network 670, and interconnect network 680.Users 650 comprise a plurality of end users. Note, device 612 isreferred to as a mobile subscriber in the description of network shownin FIG. 6. In an example embodiment, the device depicted as mobilesubscriber 612 comprises a communications device (e.g., wirelessanti-theft security M2M type device 36). Radio access network 660comprises a plurality of base station subsystems such as BSSs 662, whichinclude BTSs 664 and BSCs 666. Core network 670 comprises a host ofvarious network elements. As illustrated in FIG. 6, core network 670 maycomprise Mobile Switching Center (“MSC”) 671, Service Control Point(“SCP”) 672, gateway MSC 673, SGSN 676, Home Location Register (“HLR”)674, Authentication Center (“AuC”) 675, Domain Name Server (“DNS”) 677,and GGSN 678. Interconnect network 680 also comprises a host of variousnetworks and other network elements. As illustrated in FIG. 6,interconnect network 680 comprises Public Switched Telephone Network(“PSTN”) 682, Fixed-End System (“FES”) or Internet 684, firewall 688,and Corporate Network 689.

A mobile switching center can be connected to a large number of basestation controllers. At MSC 671, for instance, depending on the type oftraffic, the traffic may be separated in that voice may be sent toPublic Switched Telephone Network (“PSTN”) 682 through Gateway MSC(“GMSC”) 673, and/or data may be sent to SGSN 676, which then sends thedata traffic to GGSN 678 for further forwarding.

When MSC 671 receives call traffic, for example, from BSC 666, it sendsa query to a database hosted by SCP 672. The SCP 672 processes therequest and issues a response to MSC 671 so that it may continue callprocessing as appropriate.

The HLR 674 is a centralized database for users to register to the GPRSnetwork. HLR 674 stores static information about the subscribers such asthe International Mobile Subscriber Identity (“IMSI”), subscribedservices, and a key for authenticating the subscriber. HLR 674 alsostores dynamic subscriber information such as the current location ofthe mobile subscriber. Associated with HLR 674 is AuC 675. AuC 675 is adatabase that contains the algorithms for authenticating subscribers andincludes the associated keys for encryption to safeguard the user inputfor authentication.

In the following, depending on context, the term “mobile subscriber”sometimes refers to the end user and sometimes to the actual portabledevice, such as a mobile device, used by an end user of the mobilecellular service. When a mobile subscriber turns on his or her mobiledevice, the mobile device goes through an attach process by which themobile device attaches to an SGSN of the GPRS network. In FIG. 6, whenmobile subscriber 612 initiates the attach process by turning on thenetwork capabilities of the mobile device, an attach request is sent bymobile subscriber 612 to SGSN 676. The SGSN 676 queries another SGSN, towhich mobile subscriber 612 was attached before, for the identity ofmobile subscriber 612. Upon receiving the identity of mobile subscriber612 from the other SGSN, SGSN 676 requests more information from mobilesubscriber 612. This information is used to authenticate mobilesubscriber 612 to SGSN 676 by HLR 674. Once verified, SGSN 676 sends alocation update to HLR 674 indicating the change of location to a newSGSN, in this case SGSN 676. HLR 674 notifies the old SGSN, to whichmobile subscriber 612 was attached before, to cancel the locationprocess for mobile subscriber 612. HLR 674 then notifies SGSN 676 thatthe location update has been performed. At this time, SGSN 676 sends anAttach Accept message to mobile subscriber 612, which in turn sends anAttach Complete message to SGSN 676.

After attaching itself with the network, mobile subscriber 612 then goesthrough the authentication process. In the authentication process, SGSN676 sends the authentication information to HLR 674, which sendsinformation back to SGSN 676 based on the user profile that was part ofthe user's initial setup. The SGSN 676 then sends a request forauthentication and ciphering to mobile subscriber 612. The mobilesubscriber 612 uses an algorithm to send the user identification (ID)and password to SGSN 676. The SGSN 676 uses the same algorithm andcompares the result. If a match occurs, SGSN 676 authenticates mobilesubscriber 612.

Next, the mobile subscriber 612 establishes a user session with thedestination network, corporate network 689, by going through a PacketData Protocol (“PDP”) activation process. Briefly, in the process,mobile subscriber 612 requests access to the Access Point Name (“APN”),for example, UPS.com, and SGSN 676 receives the activation request frommobile subscriber 612. SGSN 676 then initiates a Domain Name Service(“DNS”) query to learn which GGSN node has access to the UPS.com APN.The DNS query is sent to the DNS server within the core network 670,such as DNS 677, which is provisioned to map to one or more GGSN nodesin the core network 670. Based on the APN, the mapped GGSN 678 canaccess the requested corporate network 689. The SGSN 676 then sends toGGSN 678 a Create Packet Data Protocol (“PDP”) Context Request messagethat contains necessary information. The GGSN 678 sends a Create PDPContext Response message to SGSN 676, which then sends an Activate PDPContext Accept message to mobile subscriber 612.

Once activated, data packets of the call made by mobile subscriber 612can then go through radio access network 660, core network 670, andinterconnect network 680, in a particular fixed-end system or Internet684 and firewall 688, to reach corporate network 689.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example block diagram view of a GSM/GPRS/IPmultimedia network architecture within which visual voice mail systemscan be implemented. As illustrated, the architecture of FIG. 13 includesa GSM core network 701, a GPRS network 730 and an IP multimedia network738. The GSM core network 701 includes a Mobile Station (MS) 702, atleast one Base Transceiver Station (BTS) 704 and a Base StationController (BSC) 706. The MS 702 is physical equipment or MobileEquipment (ME), such as a mobile phone or a laptop computer that is usedby mobile subscribers, with a Subscriber identity Module (SIM) or aUniversal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). The SIM or UICC includes anInternational Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is a uniqueidentifier of a subscriber. The BTS 704 is physical equipment, such as aradio tower, that enables a radio interface to communicate with the MS.Each BTS may serve more than one MS. The BSC 706 manages radioresources, including the BTS. The BSC may be connected to several BTSs.The BSC and BTS components, in combination, are generally referred to asa base station (BSS) or radio access network (RAN) 703.

The GSM core network 701 also includes a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)708, a Gateway Mobile Switching Center (GMSC) 710, a Home LocationRegister (HLR) 712, Visitor Location Register (VLR) 714, anAuthentication Center (AuC) 718, and an Equipment Identity Register(EIR) 716. The MSC 708 performs a switching function for the network.The MSC also performs other functions, such as registration,authentication, location updating, handovers, and call routing. The GMSC710 provides a gateway between the GSM network and other networks, suchas an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or Public SwitchedTelephone Networks (PSTNs) 720. Thus, the GMSC 710 provides interworkingfunctionality with external networks.

The HLR 712 is a database that contains administrative informationregarding each subscriber registered in a corresponding GSM network. TheHLR 712 also contains the current location of each MS. The VLR 714 is adatabase that contains selected administrative information from the HLR712. The VLR contains information necessary for call control andprovision of subscribed services for each MS currently located in ageographical area controlled by the VLR. The HLR 712 and the VLR 714,together with the MSC 708, provide the call routing and roamingcapabilities of GSM. The AuC 716 provides the parameters needed forauthentication and encryption functions. Such parameters allowverification of a subscriber's identity. The EIR 718 storessecurity-sensitive information about the mobile equipment.

A Short Message Service Center (SMSC) 709 allows one-to-one ShortMessage Service (SMS) messages to be sent to/from the MS 702. A PushProxy Gateway (PPG) 711 is used to “push” (i.e., send without asynchronous request) content to the MS 702. The PPG 711 acts as a proxybetween wired and wireless networks to facilitate pushing of data to theMS 702. A Short Message Peer to Peer (SMPP) protocol router 713 isprovided to convert SMS-based SMPP messages to cell broadcast messages.SMPP is a protocol for exchanging SMS messages between SMS peer entitiessuch as short message service centers. The SMPP protocol is often usedto allow third parties, e.g., content suppliers such as newsorganizations, to submit bulk messages.

To gain access to GSM services, such as speech, data, and short messageservice (SMS), the MS first registers with the network to indicate itscurrent location by performing a location update and IMSI attachprocedure. The MS 702 sends a location update including its currentlocation information to the MSC/VLR, via the BTS 704 and the BSC 706.The location information is then sent to the MS's HLR. The HLR isupdated with the location information received from the MSC/VLR. Thelocation update also is performed when the MS moves to a new locationarea. Typically, the location update is periodically performed to updatethe database as location updating events occur.

The GPRS network 730 is logically implemented on the GSM core networkarchitecture by introducing two packet-switching network nodes, aserving GPRS support node (SGSN) 732, a cell broadcast and a GatewayGPRS support node (GGSN) 734. The SGSN 732 is at the same hierarchicallevel as the MSC 708 in the GSM network. The SGSN controls theconnection between the GPRS network and the MS 702. The SGSN also keepstrack of individual MS's locations and security functions and accesscontrols.

A Cell Broadcast Center (CBC) 717 communicates cell broadcast messagesthat are typically delivered to multiple users in a specified area. CellBroadcast is one-to-many geographically focused service. It enablesmessages to be communicated to multiple mobile phone customers who arelocated within a given part of its network coverage area at the time themessage is broadcast.

The GGSN 734 provides a gateway between the GPRS network and a publicpacket network (PDN) or other IP networks 736. That is, the GGSNprovides interworking functionality with external networks, and sets upa logical link to the MS through the SGSN. When packet-switched dataleaves the GPRS network, it is transferred to an external TCP-IP network736, such as an X.25 network or the Internet. In order to access GPRSservices, the MS first attaches itself to the GPRS network by performingan attach procedure. The MS then activates a packet data protocol (PDP)context, thus activating a packet communication session between the MS,the SGSN, and the GGSN.

In a GSM/GPRS network, GPRS services and GSM services can be used inparallel. The MS can operate in one of three classes: class A, class B,and class C. A class A MS can attach to the network for both GPRSservices and GSM services simultaneously. A class A MS also supportssimultaneous operation of GPRS services and GSM services. For example,class A mobiles can receive GSM voice/data/SMS calls and GPRS data callsat the same time.

A class B MS can attach to the network for both GPRS services and GSMservices simultaneously. However, a class B MS does not supportsimultaneous operation of the GPRS services and GSM services. That is, aclass B MS can only use one of the two services at a given time.

A class C MS can attach for only one of the GPRS services and GSMservices at a time. Simultaneous attachment and operation of GPRSservices and GSM services is not possible with a class C MS.

A GPRS network 730 can be designed to operate in three network operationmodes (NOM1, NOM2 and NOM3). A network operation mode of a GPRS networkis indicated by a parameter in system information messages transmittedwithin a cell. The system information messages dictates a MS where tolisten for paging messages and how to signal towards the network. Thenetwork operation mode represents the capabilities of the GPRS network.In a NOM1 network, a MS can receive pages from a circuit switched domain(voice call) when engaged in a data call. The MS can suspend the datacall or take both simultaneously, depending on the ability of the MS. Ina NOM2 network, a MS may not receive pages from a circuit switcheddomain when engaged in a data call, since the MS is receiving data andis not listening to a paging channel. In a NOM3 network, a MS canmonitor pages for a circuit switched network while received data andvice versa.

The IP multimedia network 738 was introduced with 3GPP Release 7, andincludes an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 740 to provide rich multimediaservices to end users. A representative set of the network entitieswithin the IMS 740 are a call/session control function (CSCF), a mediagateway control function (MGCF) 746, a media gateway (MGW) 748, and amaster subscriber database, called a home subscriber server (HSS) 750.The HSS 750 may be common to the GSM network 701, the GPRS network 730as well as the IP multimedia network 738.

The IP multimedia system 740 is built around the call/session controlfunction, of which there are three types: an interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF)743, a proxy CSCF (P-CSCF) 742, and a serving CSCF (S-CSCF) 744. TheP-CSCF 742 is the MS's first point of contact with the IMS 740. TheP-CSCF 742 forwards session initiation protocol (SIP) messages receivedfrom the MS to an SIP server in a home network (and vice versa) of theMS. The P-CSCF 742 may also modify an outgoing request according to aset of rules defined by the network operator (for example, addressanalysis and potential modification).

The I-CSCF 743, forms an entrance to a home network and hides the innertopology of the home network from other networks and providesflexibility for selecting an S-CSCF. The I-CSCF 743 may contact asubscriber location function (SLF) 745 to determine which HSS 750 to usefor the particular subscriber, if multiple HSS's 750 are present. TheS-CSCF 744 performs the session control services for the MS 702. Thisincludes routing originating sessions to external networks and routingterminating sessions to visited networks. The S-CSCF 744 also decideswhether an application server (AS) 752 is required to receiveinformation on an incoming SIP session request to ensure appropriateservice handling. This decision is based on information received fromthe HSS 750 (or other sources, such as an application server 752). TheAS 752 also communicates to a location server 756 (e.g., a GatewayMobile Location Center (GMLC)) that provides a position (e.g.,latitude/longitude coordinates) of the MS 702.

The HSS 750 contains a subscriber profile and keeps track of which corenetwork node is currently handling the subscriber. It also supportssubscriber authentication and authorization functions (AAA). In networkswith more than one HSS 750, a subscriber location function providesinformation on the HSS 750 that contains the profile of a givensubscriber.

The MGCF 746 provides interworking functionality between SIP sessioncontrol signaling from the IMS 740 and ISUP/BICC call control signalingfrom the external GSTN networks (not shown). It also controls the mediagateway (MGW) 748 that provides user-plane interworking functionality(e.g., converting between AMR- and PCM-coded voice). The MGW 748 alsocommunicates with other IP multimedia networks 754.

Push to Talk over Cellular (PoC) capable mobile phones register with thewireless network when the phones are in a predefined area (e.g., jobsite, etc.). When the mobile phones leave the area, they register withthe network in their new location as being outside the predefined area.This registration, however, does not indicate the actual physicallocation of the mobile phones outside the pre-defined area.

FIG. 14 illustrates a public land mobile network (PLMN) block diagramview of an example architecture in which visual voice mail systems maybe incorporated. Mobile Station (MS) 801 is the physical equipment usedby the PLMN subscriber. In one example embodiment, communications device436 may serve as Mobile Station 801. Mobile Station 801 may be one of,but not limited to, a cellular telephone, a cellular telephone incombination with another electronic device or any other wireless mobilecommunication device.

Mobile Station 801 may communicate wirelessly with Base Station System(BSS) 810. BSS 810 contains a Base Station Controller (BSC) 811 and aBase Transceiver Station (BTS) 812. BSS 810 may include a single BSC811/BTS 812 pair (Base Station) or a system of BSC/BTS pairs which arepart of a larger network. BSS 810 is responsible for communicating withMobile Station 801 and may support one or more cells. BSS 810 isresponsible for handling cellular traffic and signaling between MobileStation 801 and Core Network 840. Typically, BSS 810 performs functionsthat include, but are not limited to, digital conversion of speechchannels, allocation of channels to mobile devices, paging, andtransmission/reception of cellular signals.

Additionally, Mobile Station 801 may communicate wirelessly with RadioNetwork System (RNS) 820. RNS 820 contains a Radio Network Controller(RNC) 821 and one or more Node(s) B 822. RNS 820 may support one or morecells. RNS 820 may also include one or more RNC 821/Node B 822 pairs oralternatively a single RNC 821 may manage multiple Nodes B 822. RNS 820is responsible for communicating with Mobile Station 801 in itsgeographically defined area. RNC 821 is responsible for controlling theNode(s) B 822 that are connected to it and is a control element in aUMTS radio access network. RNC 821 performs functions such as, but notlimited to, load control, packet scheduling, handover control, securityfunctions, as well as controlling Mobile Station 801's access to theCore Network (CN) 840.

The evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 830 is aradio access network that provides wireless data communications forMobile Station 801 and User Equipment 802. E-UTRAN 830 provides higherdata rates than traditional UMTS. It is part of the Long Term Evolution(LTE) upgrade for mobile networks and later releases meet therequirements of the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)Advanced and are commonly known as a 4G networks. E-UTRAN 830 mayinclude of series of logical network components such as E-UTRAN Node B(eNB) 831 and E-UTRAN Node B (eNB) 832. E-UTRAN 830 may contain one ormore eNBs. User Equipment 802 may be any user device capable ofconnecting to E-UTRAN 830 including, but not limited to, a personalcomputer, laptop, mobile device, wireless router, or other devicecapable of wireless connectivity to E-UTRAN 830. The improvedperformance of the E-UTRAN 830 relative to a typical UMTS network allowsfor increased bandwidth, spectral efficiency, and functionalityincluding, but not limited to, voice, high-speed applications, largedata transfer and IPTV, while still allowing for full mobility.

An example embodiment of a mobile data and communication service thatmay be implemented in the PLMN architecture described in FIG. 14 is theEnhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE). EDGE is an enhancement forGPRS networks that implements an improved signal modulation scheme knownas 8-PSK (Phase Shift Keying). By increasing network utilization, EDGEmay achieve up to three times faster data rates as compared to a typicalGPRS network. EDGE may be implemented on any GSM network capable ofhosting a GPRS network, making it an ideal upgrade over GPRS since itmay provide increased functionality of existing network resources.Evolved EDGE networks are becoming standardized in later releases of theradio telecommunication standards, which provide for even greaterefficiency and peak data rates of up to 1 Mbit/s, while still allowingimplementation on existing GPRS-capable network infrastructure.

Typically Mobile Station 801 may communicate with any or all of BSS 810,RNS 820, or E-UTRAN 830. In an example system, each of BSS 810, RNS 820,and E-UTRAN 830 may provide Mobile Station 801 with access to CoreNetwork 840. The Core Network 840 may include of a series of devicesthat route data and communications between end users. Core Network 840may provide network service functions to users in the Circuit Switched(CS) domain, the Packet Switched (PS) domain or both. The CS domainrefers to connections in which dedicated network resources are allocatedat the time of connection establishment and then released when theconnection is terminated. The PS domain refers to communications anddata transfers that make use of autonomous groupings of bits calledpackets. Each packet may be routed, manipulated, processed or handledindependently of all other packets in the PS domain and does not requirededicated network resources.

The Circuit Switched-Media Gateway Function (CS-MGW) 841 is part of CoreNetwork 840, and interacts with Visitor Location Register (VLR) andMobile-Services Switching Center (MSC) Server 860 and Gateway MSC Server861 in order to facilitate Core Network 840 resource control in the CSdomain. Functions of CS-MGW 841 include, but are not limited to, mediaconversion, bearer control, payload processing and other mobile networkprocessing such as handover or anchoring. CS-MGW 840 may receiveconnections to Mobile Station 801 through BSS 810, RNS 820 or both.

Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 842 stores subscriber data regardingMobile Station 801 in order to facilitate network functionality. SGSN842 may store subscription information such as, but not limited to, theInternational Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), temporary identities,or Packet Data Protocol (PDP) addresses. SGSN 842 may also storelocation information such as, but not limited to, the Gateway GPRSSupport Node (GGSN) 844 address for each GGSN where an active PDPexists. GGSN 844 may implement a location register function to storesubscriber data it receives from SGSN 842 such as subscription orlocation information.

Serving Gateway (S-GW) 843 is an interface which provides connectivitybetween E-UTRAN 830 and Core Network 840. Functions of S-GW 843 include,but are not limited to, packet routing, packet forwarding, transportlevel packet processing, event reporting to Policy and Charging RulesFunction (PCRF) 850, and mobility anchoring for inter-network mobility.PCRF 850 uses information gathered from S-GW 843, as well as othersources, to make applicable policy and charging decisions related todata flows, network resources and other network administrationfunctions. Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN-GW) 845 may provideuser-to-services connectivity functionality including, but not limitedto, network-wide mobility anchoring, bearer session anchoring andcontrol, and IP address allocation for PS domain connections.

Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 863 is a database for user information, andstores subscription data regarding Mobile Station 801 or User Equipment802 for handling calls or data sessions. Networks may contain one HSS863 or more if additional resources are required. Example data stored byHSS 863 include, but is not limited to, user identification, numberingand addressing information, security information, or locationinformation. HSS 863 may also provide call or session establishmentprocedures in both the PS and CS domains.

The VLR/MSC Server 860 provides user location functionality. When MobileStation 801 enters a new network location, it begins a registrationprocedure. A MSC Server for that location transfers the locationinformation to the VLR for the area. A VLR and MSC Server may be locatedin the same computing environment, as is shown by VLR/MSC Server 860, oralternatively may be located in separate computing environments. A VLRmay contain, but is not limited to, user information such as the IMSI,the Temporary Mobile Station Identity (TMSI), the Local Mobile StationIdentity (LMSI), the last known location of the mobile station, or theSGSN where the mobile station was previously registered. The MSC servermay contain information such as, but not limited to, procedures forMobile Station 801 registration or procedures for handover of MobileStation 801 to a different section of the Core Network 840. GMSC Server861 may serve as a connection to alternate GMSC Servers for other mobilestations in larger networks.

Equipment Identity Register (EIR) 862 is a logical element which maystore the International Mobile Equipment Identities (IMEI) for MobileStation 801. In a typical embodiment, user equipment may be classifiedas either “white listed” or “black listed” depending on its status inthe network. In one embodiment, if Mobile Station 801 is stolen and putto use by an unauthorized user, it may be registered as “black listed”in EIR 862, preventing its use on the network. Mobility ManagementEntity (MME) 864 is a control node which may track Mobile Station 801 orUser Equipment 802 if the devices are idle. Additional functionality mayinclude the ability of MME 864 to contact an idle Mobile Station 801 orUser Equipment 802 if retransmission of a previous session is required.

While example embodiments of visual voice mail systems in a multi-screenenvironment time have been described in connection with variouscomputing devices/processors, the underlying concepts can be applied toany computing device, processor, or system capable of receiving visualvoice mail notifications as described herein. The methods andapparatuses for multi-screen visual voice mail applications, or certainaspects or portions thereof, can take the form of program code (i.e.,instructions) embodied in tangible storage media having a physicalstructure, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any othermachine-readable storage medium having a physical tangible structure(computer-readable storage medium), wherein, when the program code isloaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machinebecomes an apparatus for distributing connectivity and/or transmissiontime. A computer-readable storage medium, as described herein is anarticle of manufacture, and thus, not to be construed as a transitorysignal. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers,the computing device will generally include a processor, a storagemedium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatilememory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at leastone output device. The program(s) can be implemented in assembly ormachine language, if desired. The language can be a compiled orinterpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations.

The methods and apparatuses for multi-screen visual voice mail systemscan be practiced via communications embodied in the form of program codethat is transmitted over some transmission medium, such as overelectrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, wherein, when theprogram code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, suchas an EPROM, a gate array, a programmable logic device (PLD), a clientcomputer, or the like, the machine becomes an apparatus for processingvisual voice mail messages in a multi-screen environment. Whenimplemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combineswith the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operates to invokethe functionality of distributing connectivity and/or transmission time.

While multi-screen visual voice mail systems have been described inconnection with the various embodiments of the various figures, it is tobe understood that other similar embodiments can be used ormodifications and additions can be made to the described embodiments fordistributing connectivity and/or transmission time. For example, oneskilled in the art will recognize that multi-screen visual voice mailsystems as described in the present application may apply to anyenvironment, whether wired or wireless, and may be applied to any numberof devices connected via a communications network and interacting acrossthe network. Therefore, systems and methods for multi-screen visualvoice mail should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rathershould be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appendedclaims.

What is claimed:
 1. A method comprising: determining that a sender hasgenerated a voice mail message; generating a first map including anindicator of a geographic location associated with the voice mailmessage; and providing the first map to a first recipient, wherein, inresponse to selecting, by the first recipient, the indicator, a firstmessage is retrieved, wherein the message is based on the voice mailmessage.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining afirst preferred receipt mode associated with the first recipient is atexted-based mode; and converting the voice mail message into atranscribed message, wherein the first message comprises the transcribedmessage.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining asecond preferred receipt mode associated with a second recipient is anaudio-based mode; generating a second map including a second indicatorof the geographic location; and providing the second map to the secondintended recipient, wherein, in response to selecting, by the secondrecipient, the indicator, a second message is retrieved by the secondrecipient, wherein the second message is audio associated with the voicemail message.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifyingthe first recipient and the second recipient based on a distributionlist associated with the voice mail message.
 5. The method of claim 4,further comprising: identifying a plurality of recipients based on ashared characteristic associated with each of the plurality ofrecipients, wherein the distribution list comprises the plurality ofrecipients.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the firstpreferred receipt mode comprises: determining a first recipientgeographic location associated with the first recipient; and identifyinga first device based on the first recipient geographic location, whereinproviding the first map to the first recipient comprises providing thefirst map to the first device.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereinidentifying a first device is further based on a time associated withthe voice mail message.
 8. The method of claim 2, wherein determiningthe first preferred receipt mode is based on an availability of thefirst recipient.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographiclocation is associated with the first recipient.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein the geographic location is associated with the sender.
 11. Amethod comprising: transcribing a voice mail message; identifying aplurality of recipients associated with the voice mail message; for eachof the plurality of recipients, determining a preferred message mode;based on a respective preferred message mode associated with each of theplurality of recipients, providing to the respective recipient at leastone of the transcribed voice mail message or audio associated with thevoice mail message.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the preferredmessage mode of at least one recipient of the plurality of recipients isbased on an availability of the at least one of the plurality recipient.13. The method of claim 11 further comprising: generating a mapcomprising a message indicator of a geographic location associated withthe voice mail message; and providing, to each of the plurality ofrecipients, the map, wherein upon selecting by at least one recipient ofthe plurality of recipients, the message indicator, at least one of thetranscribed voice mail message or the audio is displayed.
 14. Anapparatus comprising: a processor; and memory coupled to the processor,the memory comprising computer readable instructions that cause theprocessor executing the instructions to effectuate operationscomprising: determining that a sender has generated a voice mailmessage; generating a map including an indicator of a geographiclocation associated with the voice mail message; and providing the mapto a recipient, wherein, in response to selecting, by the recipient, thefirst map location, the voice mail message is retrieved.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein the geographic location is associatedwith the sender.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the geographiclocation is selected by the sender.
 17. The apparatus of claim 14,wherein the geographic location is associated with the recipient. 18.The apparatus of claim 14, the operations further comprising:determining that the first recipient is also a recipient of a secondvoice mail message; wherein the map includes a second message indicatorat a second geographic location, wherein, in response to selecting, bythe recipient, the indicator, the second voice mail message isretrieved.
 19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the retrieved voicemail message comprises a transcription of the voice mail message. 20.The apparatus of claim 14, the operations further comprising:determining an availability of the first recipient; and identifying adevice associated with the first recipient based on the availability,wherein providing the map comprises providing the map to the device.